§ MR. FINUCANE (Limerick, E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, in the twenty-nine model schools in Ireland, the Commissioners of Education, who are the managers of those schools, insist on prepayment as a condition of admission to the schools; whether the managers of all other National schools in Ireland have the same right, and have often exercised it, especially in Ulster; and, whether the arrangement and mode of payment of school fees is vested in the manager of National schools by Rule 173 (last revised Code). Rule,
So far as practicable a further income must be secured to teachers of National schools by school fees, &c., and the arrangement of school fees is to be made by the managers?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne)Sir, the answer to the first paragraph of the Question is yes; but I have further to say that a third of the pupils pay only 1s. 1d. a-quarter. The rule of the Commissioners is that, so far as practicable, the managers are authorized to levy school fees in advance; but the Commissioners would feel bound to interfere if the right were exercised unreasonably or to 200 the prejudice of individuals. In reply to a further inquiry, of which the hon. Member has given me private Notice, I have to say that the rules say nothing on the subject of arrears; but, bearing in mind that the National Schools are designed for the education of the poor of Ireland, the Commissioners have always held that the proper course is to recover arrears by process at Petty Sessions, and not to resort to the extreme step of expelling a child from the school with a view to enforce payment.